Drain hole waste trap and plug assembly

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a waster trap assembly of the type which can be used in a drain hole of, for example, a sink or bath. The assembly includes sealing means such that the assembly can be moved axially between a sealing position and an open, drainage position. In the drainage position, debris is collected in a waste collecting means of the assembly rather than passing into the drain hole. The waste collecting means is provided to be manipulated between a waste collecting configuration in which the same is typically held when in the drain hole and a waste discarding configuration to which the same can be moved when it is desired to discard collected waste from the assembly.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to UK application number 0709452.7filed May 17, 2007. This application also claims priority to UKapplication number 0803738.4 filed Feb. 29, 2008, which applications areincorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention to which this application relates is to an improvement toa device which is herein referred to as a waste trap, which is for usewith a drain hole of, for example, a sink or basin.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Waste trap assemblies are typically used for two purposes, a firstpurpose, when the same is in a first position, to close and seal a drainhole in a sink, bath or the like and a second purpose when in a secondposition, to collect debris which may be present in the liquid in thesink or bath and prevent that debris from passing into the drain, as theliquid drains from the sink or bath through the drain hole.

It should be appreciated that although the invention is herein describedwith regard to use in a kitchen sink drain hole, the use of the wastetrap of the invention need not be limited to this type of drain hole andtherefore the description should be interpreted accordingly.

In kitchen sinks, the same are typically filled with liquid and used towash utensils which have been used for cooking and/or eating. Typically,there will be food and other debris on the utensils at the time ofwashing and, during the washing action, the debris is removed from theutensils and either floats or sinks in the liquid. When the time comesto drain the liquid from the sink, the water leaves the same through adrain hole and the drain hole can quickly become clogged by the debriswhich is encouraged to move to the drain hole in the liquid flow. If thedebris enters the drain itself, the drain can become blocked. This hasbeen recognized as a significant problem and has led to the use of adevice known as a waste trap.

The waste trap conventionally comprises a body formed of metal or ametal alloy which is typically of a similar dimension to the drain holeand which has a trap, typically formed as a basket, with perforationstherein which allow liquid to pass there through, but at least thelarger significant items of debris, to be retained in the basket. Thetrap is then, from time to time, removed from the drain hole by theuser, typically once the liquid has drained from the sink. The collecteddebris can then be carried in the trap to a location where the debriscan be discarded safely, such as a waste bin.

The waste trap also typically includes a sealing member, typically onthe underside of the basket, which is formed of a resilient substancesuch as, for example, rubber or rubber equivalent, and this sealingmember is provided so as to provide a substantially watertight seal ofthe drain and therefore act as a plug when the trap is in the firstposition. To allow this to occur, the trap typically includes a memberalong the central axis thereof, and which member acts as a guide for themovement of the trap between the first and second axial positions. Inthe first axial position, the trap is inserted further into the drainhole such that the sealing member engages the drain hole and causes aseal to be achieved therefore allowing liquid to be collected in thesink.

In the second position, the waste trap is moved axially away from thedrain hole, but still located therewith. This allows liquid to drainfrom the sink, through a gap around the periphery of the trap andthrough the apertures in the trap basket, and into the drain hole. Thegaps are of a size so as to prevent the larger items of debris passinginto the drain hole and therefore this debris is retained in the trapbasket.

Waste traps of this design are well known, and do work effectively. Theycan be unsightly but, due to their useful function, have largelyremained in the same form for a long period of time.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The aim of the present invention is to provide an improved waste trap,which at least maintains the functional performance but preferablyimproves the same, and which also has an improved appearance when inuse.

In one aspect of the invention, there is provided a waste trap assemblyfor use in conjunction with a drain hole in a sink, bath or similaritem, said assembly having a waste collecting means and wherein saidwaste collecting means can be manipulated by a user between a debriscollection configuration and a debris discarding configuration.

Typically the waste collecting means or “basket” as it can often becalled is provided in a debris collecting configuration while the wastetrap is located in the drain hole in either first or second positionsand can be moved to the debris discarding configuration when theassembly is removed from the drain hole such as at a location at whichthe debris held in the basket is to be discarded.

In one embodiment, the user manipulation involves moving at least partof the side walls of the waste collecting means to allow debris to fallout of the waste collecting means and also increase a gap between theperiphery of the waste collecting means and the underside of a coveraxially mounted above the waste collecting means so as to more easilyfacilitate the removal of the debris.

In one embodiment, the manipulation involves moving the side walls tomove the same “over center”. In this embodiment, the waste collectingmeans is formed of a resilient material such that force is applied tothe side walls to move the same from either configuration to anintermediate location whereupon continued application of force causesthe resilience of the material to move the waste collecting meansautomatically to either of the collection or discarding configurations.Typically the shape of the waste collecting means, in conjunction withthe resilience of the material, encourages the waste collecting means toremain in either of the collection or discarding configurations withoutapplication of force or other support being required.

The ability for user manipulation of the waste collecting means betweencollection and discarding positions, means that the debris can be moreeasily discarded from the waste collecting means. This is particularlyimportant when the waste trap assembly includes a cover mounted abovethe waste collecting means, as although the spacing between the coverand the waste collecting means is sufficient to allow debris to passinto the waste collecting means, it may not be sufficient so as to allowa user to insert their fingers or other utensils into the wastecollecting means to remove the debris there from. However, this problemis solved by the current invention by providing the waste collectingmeans to be manipulable between the debris collecting and debrisdiscarding configurations so as to provide a greater size of gap betweenthe cover and the waste collecting means when it is necessary to gainaccess to the same to remove debris there from.

In a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of useof a waste trap assembly with respect to a drain hole, said methodcomprising the steps of moving the assembly to a lowered position in thedrain hole to substantially seal the same and allow liquid to collect ina sink or bath or similar item for use; and, when the use is complete,moving the waste trap assembly to a raised position in the drain hole toallow liquid to pass through the drain hole and waste debris to becollected in a waste collecting means of the assembly in a debriscollecting configuration and wherein the assembly is removed from thedrain hole and the waste collecting means manipulated by a user from thedebris collection configuration to a debris discarding configuration toallow debris to be discarded from the waste trap assembly.

In one embodiment, the waste collecting means is formed from a materialwhich can be deformed by the user to move the same between the debriscollection and debris discarding configurations. Typically, the materialis sufficiently resilient so as to remain in either of the debriscollecting or debris discarding positions until user force is appliedthereto.

In one embodiment, the waste collecting means incorporates a sealingmeans formed as part thereof, said sealing means provided to allow thedrain hole to be substantially sealed when the waste trap is in thefirst position.

In one aspect of the invention, the waste collecting means which isprovided as part of the assembly, is provided with a rib portionextending around the periphery of the same.

In one embodiment, the rib portion is of an increased thickness comparedto the wall thickness of the remainder of the waste collecting means.

In one embodiment, the rib portion is formed at the free edge of thecollecting means.

It is found that in use, the rib portion acts to allow a more controlledmovement of the waste collecting means between the waste collectingconfiguration and the waste discarding configuration. This morecontrolled movement ensures that the movement is predictable andtherefore prevents the risk of splashing or scattering of collectedwaste from the collecting means as the movement is being performed bythe user.

In one embodiment the assembly incorporates sealing means which, whenthe assembly is in a closed position, act to seal the drain hole tosubstantially prevent the passage of water there through, said sealingmeans being formed integrally with at least one other component of theassembly.

In one embodiment, the sealing means is formed integrally with the wastecollecting means.

By providing the sealing means integrally with the waste collectionmeans of the assembly, so it is found that the manufacture of theassembly is simplified and costs are reduced.

Typically the assembly includes a cover member mounted coaxially withthe waste collecting means and axially spaced there from. Typically thecover means is located such that when the assembly is in the loweredposition in the drain hole the top surface of the cover member liessubstantially flush with the surface of the sink or bath in which thedrain hole is provided.

In a yet further aspect of the invention, there is provided a waste trapassembly for a drain hole of a sink or bath or similar item, said wastetrap including a waste collecting means for the collection of debristherein as liquid drains through the waste trap into the drain hole andwherein a cover member is provided, said cover member axially spacedfrom said waste collecting means.

In one embodiment, the cover member is spaced from the waste collectingmeans to a sufficient extent such that as liquid drains through thedrain hole, debris can pass through the space between the cover andwaste collecting means and be collected by the waste collecting meansthereby preventing the same from passing into the drain hole and alsopreventing the debris from clogging the area around the drain hole.

In one embodiment the upper surface of the cover member is shaped so asto encourage liquid and debris to move along the surface to theperiphery of the cover and then into the waste collecting means.

In one embodiment, the waste trap is axially movable with regard to thedrain hole between a first, sealing position in which liquid issubstantially prevented from entering the drain hole and a secondposition in which liquid can pass around and through apertures providedin the trap waste collecting means, to enter the drain hole.

Typically the axial movement, and the extent of the same, is providedsuch that when the trap is in the first position, the external face ofthe cover lies substantially flush with the face of the sink adjacentthe drain hole. Thus, the waste collecting means is hidden from viewwhen the trap is in the first position, thereby improving the appearanceof the waste trap and the sink.

Typically the waste trap includes a sealing means, said sealing meansacting when the waste trap is in the first position to seal the drainhole and therefore prevent liquid from leaving the sink.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described withreference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a sink with a waste trap in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention, in a first, closed position.

FIG. 2 illustrates a sink with the waste trap of FIG. 1, in a second,open condition.

FIG. 3 illustrates of the waste trap in accordance with one embodimentof the invention in a debris collecting configuration.

FIG. 4 illustrates waste trap of FIG. 3 in a debris discardingconfiguration.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exploded view of the components of the waste trapin accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates the waste trap in section on line A-A in the closedposition of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 illustrates the waste trap in section on line B-B in the openposition of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 illustrates the waste trap in section in line C-C in a debriscollecting configuration of FIG. 3.

FIG. 9 illustrates the waste trap in section in line D-D in a debriscollecting configuration of FIG. 4;

FIGS. 10 a-b show a cross sectional elevation of an assembly inaccordance with a further embodiment of the invention in position in adrain hole in open and closed positions respectively.

FIGS. 11 a-c illustrate the waste collecting means and sealing means ofthe assembly of FIGS. 10 a and b.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring firstly to FIGS. 1 and 6, there is illustrated part of akitchen sink 2 assembly which includes a drain hole 4 and in which thereis positioned a waste trap assembly 6 in accordance with an embodimentof the invention. The waste trap is shown in a first, closed position,in which the top surface 8 of a cover 10 of the waste trap liessubstantially flush with or slightly below the surface 12 of the base ofthe sink. Thus, in this position, the waste trap is effectively sealingthe drain hole 4 in a sealed, closed, position so that liquid can bepoured into the sink 15 and collected and retained in the sink forwashing use.

In order to move the waste trap from a closed position shown in FIG. 1,to an open position shown in FIG. 2 and 7, then, in one embodiment, theuser is required to press down onto the top surface 8 of the cover 10 asindicated by arrow 16. This serves to release a mechanism 22incorporated as part of the waste trap which in turn causes the wastetrap to be released to move upwardly as indicated by arrow 20, typicallyunder the influence of a spring. The movement of the waste trapupwardly, causes the cover 10 to move to a raised position spaced fromthe surface 12 of the base of the sink. In this position a wastecollecting means in the form of a basket 18 lies with its peripheraledge substantially flush with or lower than with the base 12 of thesink. This allows liquid to flow as indicated by arrows 24 in FIG. 7through the gap 26 and through apertures 28 provided in the basket andinto the drain hole. Any debris which is carried by the liquid iscollected in the basket 18 for subsequent removal as it is too large topass through apertures 28.

FIG. 5 illustrates the waste trap components in more detail inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention and it will be seen thatthe waste trap incorporates a central axis member 30. On that member, atspaced intervals, are provided the cover 6 and then spaced downwardlythere from, the waste collecting means or basket 18 with the apertures28 therein. Below that, there is formed a seal 32 and part of themechanism 22 which allows the movement of the waste trap between theopen and closed positions shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The mechanism is thesubject of separate patent protection and therefore is not described indetail here. However, in this example the simple pressing action on thecover is sufficient to move the waste trap between the first and secondpositions. However other movement mechanisms could be used withoutaffecting the advantages of this invention.

The provision of the cover, in addition to the waste collecting meansbasket, means that the waste trap assembly itself is more attractive inuse as it provides, in the closed position, a substantially flush basesurface and the drain hole and waste collecting means basket aretherefore hidden from view. The waste trap assembly 6 is located in ahousing 34 which is mounted in the drain hole of the sink assembly.However it should be appreciated that the waste collecting means basket18 can be used to advantage without the cover being provided andtherefore the assembly could be provided in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention without the cover.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 8 a problem which is created by theprovision of the cover 10 is that the gap 38 between the underside 36 ofthe cover and the peripheral lip of the basket 18 is such that it isdifficult for a user to gain access to any debris which may be collectedin the basket in order to be able to remove the same. Thus, if thebasket was of a conventional type made of sheet metal which is formed asa fixed, rigid shape, then, in many instances, the waste trap basket 18would not be usable as debris cannot be recovered there from. However,this problem has been appreciated and dealt with in the following mannerin the current invention.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, the basket 18 is provided in a debriscollection configuration in which the side walls 40 of the basket,depend upwardly leading to a peripheral lip 42. This therefore meansthat the basket is in a form in which debris which enters the same in adirection of arrows 24, can be collected in the basket and the liquid,which carries the debris to the drain hole and to the basket, continuesits flow downwardly as indicated by arrows 24 in FIG. 7 through theapertures 28 in the basket to the drain hole. It is also possible,although not shown, that the surface of the cover can be domed orotherwise shaped so as to encourage the liquid and any debris thereon tomove to the peripheral edge of the cover and then move as indicated byarrows 24 downwardly towards the basket 18.

With the basket 18 still in the collecting configuration the waste trapassembly can be removed from the drain hole as indicated by arrow 41 inFIG. 8 and then used to carry any debris in the basket until it isdesired to discard the same.

In order to remove the debris for discarding the same, the basket can bemanipulated by the user to a configuration shown in FIGS. 4 and 9. Themovement can be achieved as the basket is formed of a substantiallyresilient, flexible material such as nitrile rubber. Preferably, thehardness of the rubber is in the region of 50-70 shore hardness andprovides sufficient rigidity of the basket so as to retain it in therequired configuration but the same is still sufficiently flexible so asto be manipulable by the user between configurations.

The movement can be achieved by the user gripping the peripheral lip 42and then moving the same as indicated by arrows 46 in FIG. 8. Inmovement, once the lip 42 reaches a particular location, for exampleillustrated by broken lines 48 in FIG. 9, the resilience of the materialcauses the basket to continue the movement automatically to the debrisdiscarding configuration shown in FIGS. 4 and 9.

Similarly, when moving the basket from the debris discardingconfiguration to the debris collecting configuration, the movement canbe achieved in the opposite direction by the user gripping theperipheral lip 42. Thus it will be appreciated that when the basket isin the debris discarding configuration, the debris is no longer held inthe basket when the waste trap is held upright and so the debris canfall into, for example, a bin.

Thus, in use, in the sink, the waste trap can be moved between first andsecond closed and open positions accordingly. Preferably, the waste trapsealing member 32, which can be provided as an integral part of thebasket, seals against the drain hole to effectively prevent liquidleaving the sink through the drain hole when the waste trap is in thefirst closed position. In order to drain the liquid from the sink, thewaste trap can be moved to the second position shown in FIG. 2 and watercan then drain through the drain hole via apertures provided in thebasket. The drain hole is exposed as the waste trap has been movedupwardly to raise the cover from the surface of the sink and bring thewaste trap assembly 6 to the entry into the drain hole and remove thesealing member 32 from the drain hole.

Once the sink has been drained, the user may then wish to discard anydebris which is held in the basket of the waste trap. To do this, theyrelease and remove the waste trap from the drain hole and sinkcompletely, and carry the same, with the basket still in theconfiguration shown in FIGS. 3 and 8. At the point of removal of thedebris the user can grip the peripheral edges of the basket and move thesame downwardly to the configuration shown in FIGS. 4 and 9 whereindebris can fall out of the basket 18. Thus, the debris can be accessedrelatively easily and the user need not try and place utensils or theirfingers between the gap of the peripheral of the basket and theunderside of the cover when it is in the normal configuration shown inFIG. 3.

Referring now to the FIGS. 10 a-b, there is shown a drain hole 102 in asink 104 which allows the passage of water from the sink to the drainagemeans.

Also shown in position in the drain hole, is a waste trap assembly 106.The waste trap assembly, in this embodiment, comprises a top cover 108mounted on a longitudinal shaft 110 around which is also disposed, at aspaced location from the cover, a waste collecting means 112 and, formedas part of thereof, sealing means 116 shown in more detail in FIGS. 11a-c.

The sealing means 116 are provided to locate on the drain hole, when theassembly is in the closed position of FIG. 10 b, in order to seal thedrain hole and maintain the liquid in the sink. The assembly is axiallymovable, either by manual movement or by an actuating means, so as toallow the assembly to be moved upwardly, to an open position as shown inFIG. 10 a, and downwardly to a closed lowered position as shown in FIG.10 b. As shown in FIG. 11 a-c, the free end or edge 118 of the wastecollecting means 112 is formed with a rib 120 of an increased wallthickness as compared to the wall thickness of the remainder of thewaste collecting means. It is found that the provision of the at leastone rib improves the movement of the waste collecting means between thecollecting position shown in FIGS. 10 a and 10 b and a waste discardingposition shown in broken lines in FIG. 10 a, and between which positionsthe collecting means can be moved by manual manipulation typically bygripping the edges of the same.

The provision of the rib 120 allows a more controlled movement to beachieved between the configurations of collecting and discarding.

It is also shown how the sealing means 116 is provided as an integralpart of the waste collecting means 112, typically being formed as acommon part and of a common material, thereby simplifying themanufacture and reducing the number of components required for theassembly.

There is therefore provided a waste trap assembly which allows the wastecollecting means to be effective in preventing debris from passing intothe drain and which still allows the debris to be effectively removedthere from, even when a cover is provided and at the same time providingan assembly which has improved appearance and effect.

1. A waste trap assembly for use in conjunction with a drain hole in asink, bath or similar item, said assembly having a waste collectingmeans and wherein said waste collecting means can be manipulated by auser between a debris collecting configuration and a debris discardingconfiguration.
 2. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein the wastecollecting means is provided in a debris collecting configuration whilethe waste trap is located in the drain hole in either first or secondpositions and can be moved to the debris discarding configuration whenthe assembly is removed from the drain hole.
 3. An assembly according toclaim 1 wherein the user manipulation involves moving at least part ofthe side wall of the waste collecting means.
 4. An assembly according toclaim 1 wherein the manipulation involves moving the side walls to movethe same “over center”.
 5. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein thewaste collecting means is formed of a resilient material such that forceis applied to the side walls to move the same from either the wastecollecting or discarding configuration to an intermediate locationwhereupon continued application of force causes the resilience of thematerial to move the waste collecting means automatically to the otherof the collecting or discarding configurations.
 6. An assembly accordingto claim 1 wherein the shape of the waste collecting means, inconjunction with the resilience of the material, encourages the wastecollecting means to remain in either of the collecting or discardingconfigurations without application of force or other support beingrequired.
 7. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein the wastecollecting means incorporates a sealing means formed to allow the drainhole to be substantially sealed when the waste trap is in a firstposition.
 8. An assembly according to claim 7 wherein the sealing meansis formed integrally with the waste collecting means.
 9. An assemblyaccording to claim 1 wherein the waste collecting means is provided witha rib portion extending around the periphery of the same.
 10. Anassembly according to claim 9 wherein the rib portion is of an increasedthickness compared to the wall thickness of the remainder of the wastecollecting means.
 11. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein the ribportion is formed at the free edge of the collecting means.
 12. Anassembly according to claim 1 wherein the assembly includes a covermember mounted coaxially with the waste collecting means and axiallyspaced there from.
 13. An assembly according to claim 12 wherein thecover means is located such that when the assembly is in a loweredposition in the drain hole the top surface of the cover member liessubstantially flush with the surface of the sink or bath in which thedrain hole is provided.
 14. A method of use of a waste trap assemblywith respect to a drain hole, said method comprising the steps of movingthe assembly to a lowered position in the drain hole to substantiallyseal the same and allow liquid to collect in a sink or bath or similaritem for use; and, when the use is complete, moving the waste trapassembly to a raised position in the drain hole to allow liquid to passthrough the drain hole and waste debris to be collected in a wastecollecting means of the assembly in a debris collecting configurationand wherein the assembly is removed from the drain hole and the wastecollecting means manipulated by a user from the debris collectionconfiguration to a debris discarding configuration to allow debris to bediscarded from the waste trap assembly.
 15. A waste trap assembly for adrain hole of a sink or bath or similar item, said waste trap includinga waste collecting means for the collection of debris therein as liquiddrains through the waste trap into the drain hole and wherein a covermember is provided, said cover member axially spaced from said wastecollecting means.
 16. An assembly according to claim 15 wherein thecover is spaced from the waste collecting means to a sufficient extentsuch that as liquid drains through the drain hole, debris can passthrough the space between the cover and waste collecting means and becollected by the waste collecting means.
 17. An assembly according toclaim 15 wherein the upper surface of the cover member is shaped so asto encourage liquid and debris to move along the surface to theperiphery of the cover and then into the waste collecting means.
 18. Anassembly according to claim 15 wherein the assembly is axially movablewith regard to the drain hole between a first, lowered sealing positionin which liquid is substantially prevented from entering the drain holeand a second, raised position in which liquid can pass around andthrough apertures provided in the waste collecting means, to enter thedrain hole.
 19. An assembly according to claim 18 wherein the extent ofthe axial movement is such that when the assembly is in the firstposition, the external face of the cover lies substantially flush withthe surface of the sink adjacent the drain hole and the waste collectingmeans is hidden from view.